What is LinkedIn ?

Social networking is the way of the future and it is not always recreational in nature. The world of business and how professionals interact with one another has dramatically changed. With the arrival of LinkedIn, social networking was taken to a whole new level for professionals in all fields. With a rich history, this is a social networking platform, which has grown leaps and bounds over the years since its inception.

Let’s take a glance at the history of LinkedIn.com and the value it holds for those who run online businesses.

History

Founded in 2002, this was the first professional networking site released onto the market to help professionals interact and close the gap created by distance. The world was already becoming ‘tech-savvy’ with the introduction of e-mails and texting, but this was a whole new level.

Professional networking was taken to a different stratosphere by the creators of this platform.

Who were the creators behind LinkedIn?

Reid Hoffman was the key founder of the social networking platform along with team members from PayPal and SocialNet.com. These were individuals with years of experience in creating such platforms and knew how to build it properly from the ground up. This ensured there were minimal hurdles along the way.

The initial launch was situated in California as with most social networking sites. Investments for the venture came from the likes of Bain Capital Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, European Founders Fund, and Greylock.

The initial valuation for the company came in at $1 Billion (USD) by those investing into the project. It was regarded as a winner immediately in the eyes of these investors and they put in a significant amount of money. The initial run came in at $53 Million (USD) from Sequoia Capital.

The site has now grown since it started in 2002 with offices all around the world in places such as New York, London, Washington, Dublin, and many others. The growth continues to come as the company has remained profitable since 2006. A mere four years after launching, it started earning money and turning a profit.

There are now over 7,600 employees working for LinkdIn all around the world in their various offices. The list of offices continue to grow as the demand for this professional networking site continues to grow as it has become the ‘go to’ option for all professionals.

LinkedIn Stats

There are numerous stats in relation to LinkedIn, which paint a better image of how this social networking platform has grown over time. There are over 364 million users on the platform and they come from over 200 different countries around the world.

There is significant growth in traffic coming onto the platform year over year. During the earlier part of the 2010s, there was a 63% growth in traffic coming into LinkedIn. This meant 33.9 million users came online to visit this platform and most of them signed in as well to create accounts. It is important to note these are unique visitors.

How To Sign Up (LinkedIn Login)

The next question to inquire about is, “How does one sign up?” and this is a good question to ask. It is a simple process for those who are interested and want to sign up as soon as possible to start speaking with those in their industry. Simply type in the website (www.linkedin.com) and fill in the form, which pops up on the home page.

This will lead the prospective user through a series of questions which have to be answered to set up the profile. The rest will be done based on your contacts on other platforms to make it easier for you.

Another question asked is “Who should sign up?” for those who are unaware of what this platform might have to offer them. LinkedIn is great for those who are looking to create new contacts and get a better grip of their industry. It is essential to set up a profile in order to set up a footprint in your niche. It can lead to new job opportunities popping up or finding potential private clients for those who run online businesses. The opportunities are endless.

Value For Online Business Owners

Online business owners have a lot to benefit from when it comes to LinkedIn. This is a social networking platform built to help online business owners locate new clients and develop connections in their niche.

Want to find a new supplier for your online business? Why not add them on your account and develop a relationship through LinkedIn instead of shooting in the dark by cold calling?

It is easier and simply more logical to go through this approach to land clients and develop new relationships in the industry. Online business owners want to keep it ‘online’, so this is a perfect solution for them.